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NASCAR Drivers Take Center Stage in 2017 NASCAR Playoff Campaign

September 12, 2017 | By NASCAR

As stock car racing’s brightest stars prepare for the grueling, 10-week road to Ford Championship Weekend, NASCAR® is showcasing all the drama and intensity of the 2017 NASCAR Playoffs with a new, integrated marketing campaign.

From the first green flag to the final burnout, the 2017 NASCAR Playoffs campaign will engage fans across platforms with the rigors of the journey, the ferocity of the competition, and the thrill of victory – all from the perspective of the drivers.

Fans can visit the NASCAR Playoffs Leaderboard at NASCAR.com/playoffs and follow NASCAR on social media (#NASCARPlayoffs) for first-hand driver perspectives on navigating “Playoff Road” en route to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19.

The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series television spot, “Challenge of Champions,” debuted Saturday during the final regular season race at Richmond Raceway.

“NASCAR drivers share a bond with fans that’s unlike anything else in sports, so for us it made sense to have our stars set the stage for the 2017 NASCAR Playoffs,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “The excitement of stage racing will be on full display during the playoffs, so we’re creating content that takes fans inside the minds of our drivers for a more intimate, behind-the-scenes experience.”

The NASCAR Playoffs Leaderboard will feature short videos for all 16 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers, each sharing their own, unique perspective on what it takes to win a championship. Drivers will also discuss their individual paths to this year’s playoffs as part of a special “Backroads” video series, available on NASCAR social media channels.

Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota are once again inviting fans to participate in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Promotion* on NASCAR.com, for a chance to win new trucks and VIP trips to NASCAR Champion’s Week in Las Vegas in November.

Fans can visit NASCAR.com/playoffspromo to register for a chance to win a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2018 Ford F-150 Lariat and 2018 Toyota Tundra TRD Sport. New this year, fans also have the chance to win manufacturer-specific experiential prizes during each round of the NASCAR Playoffs and view exclusive “Truck Talk” promotional spots from the OEMs, each featuring playoffs drivers.

“Chevy, Ford and Toyota are among the most dedicated partners in the sport, so it’s great to have all three on board again this year to further elevate the NASCAR Playoffs experience for our fans,” said Gregory.

Continuing the momentum on social media following last year’s record-setting postseason, the playoffs will be promoted heavily across all social channels, including with a #NASCARPlayoffs emoji on Twitter and driver takeovers on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

Last month, NASCAR announced plans to live-stream one in-car camera on Twitter for all 10 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs races. Beginning this week, fans have access to customized Twitter emojis and hashtags for all 16 playoffs drivers, whose input helped create the personalized artwork.

The broader playoffs campaign, developed with 77 Ventures, will also include creative and content promoting the NASCAR XFINITY Series™ and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™ Playoffs.

NASCAR will crown its 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion at the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the fourth and final round of the NASCAR Playoffs on Nov. 19 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Tickets for playoffs events across all three NASCAR national series are available at NASCAR.com/tickets.

The 2017 NASCAR Playoffs kick off with The Tales of the Turtles 400 on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90), with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.

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